Top Five Components of Your Credit Score

There is no doubt about it the economy is in a spiral downturn. Many of us have been facing financial troubles daily; with all of the troubles leading to bad effects on our credit score.

If you have ever applied for a loan for a home or a car, you know the single most important factor in your approval is your credit score.

Many are confused by what a credit score is and how the number is determined. This article will help you understand how your credit score is derived.

Your credit score is derived from five main variables.  They include the type of credit,  how many inquiries have been made to issue new credit to you, how long your file is, what you owe to others and how you pay your bills.

These five variables affect or weigh on your score differently.  Payment history at 35 % and outstanding debt at 30% are the heavy hitters. While depth of file is at 15% and both Inquiries and types of credit are both at 10%, these together make up the total score when all are weighted together.

Now, we will proceed into more detail for these individual categories and what they are based on.

The first category of payment history speaks for its self. It is one of the largest weighing factors, making up 35% of your final credit score. It simply looks at whether or not you have paid your bills on time. When ever you receive a bill you are usually given a certain time period by which you are expected to pay it within. If you meet that time limit, the creditor will report that you have made your payment on time.  If you pay more than 30 days past the due date, the creditor will report your payment as delinquent.

Weighing in at 30% on your credit report is outstanding debt.  This category shows how much you have to still pay back on the monies you have already borrowed.  To apply for more financing, this number should be kept in a range where it shows you can repay the money without any issues.  To have a large amount of debt, could be your financial ruin.

Your depth file weight at 15% is affected by the amount of time you have held credit.  The age of accounts affect your score.  That credit card you opened in college, if left open and active, will boost your score up.

At 10% weights in both inquiries and types of credit against your score.  The Inquiries of New Credit show who and how often your report has been looked at in order to extend credit to you, this is called a inquiry; the fewer inquiries against your report the better.

The final category of types of credit looks at the types of finances that you have taken out on credit. Some are classes to be bad compared to others. For example going for instalment loans is more preferred in comparison to a loan from a finance company.

Understanding your credit score is essential to take control of your financial future